CONNECTICUT Woodlands

VICTORY GARDENS REVISITED • Everyone can farm

The Magazine of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association Summer 2009 Volume 74 No. 2 CONNECTICUT Woodlands

The Magazine of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association

The Connecticut Forest & Park Association, Inc.

Officers PRESIDENT, David Platt, Higganum VICE-PRESIDENT, Jean Crum Jones, Shelton VICE-PRESIDENT, Eric Lukingbeal, Granby VICE-PRESIDENT, David Sullivan, Haddam TREASURER, Gordon L. Anderson, Glastonbury SECRETARY, Eric Hammerling, West Hartford FORESTER, Dan Donahue

Directors Mark Ashton, New Haven Richard A. Bauerfeld, Branford William Breck, Killingworth Bob Lorenz Russell L. Brenneman, Westport Shoreline Soup Kitchen volunteer gardeners harvest spinach. See page 11. George M. Camp, Middletown Starling W. Childs, Norfolk Ruth Cutler, Ashford Laurence Diamond, Coventry James Dombrauskas, New Hartford Caroline Driscoll, New London Astrid T. Hanzalek, Suffield Connecting People to the Land Annual Membership David Leff, Collinsville Individual $ 35 Scott Livingston, Bolton The Connecticut Forest & Park Association Geoffrey Meissner, Southington Family $ 50 protects forests, parks, walking trails and open Karen Mignone, Fairfield Supporting $ 100 spaces for future generations by connecting Bob Morrison, Manchester Benefactor $ 250 James Ritchie, Sandy Hook people to the land. CFPA directly involves Starr Sayres, East Haddam individuals and families, educators, community Donald L. Snook, Westport Life Membership $ 2500 leaders and volunteers to enhance and defend Deborah Spalding, Guilford Colin Tait, Norfolk Connecticut’s rich natural heritage. CFPA is a Corporate Membership Richard Whitehouse, Glastonbury private, non-profit organization that relies on Club $ 50 members and supporters to carry out its mission. Honorary Directors Nonprofit $ 75 Harrol W. Baker, Jr., Bolton We envision Connecticut as a place of scenic Sustaining $ 100 Richard F. Blake, Milford beauty whose cities, suburbs, and villages are Landmark $ 250 Clyde S. Brooks, Gibsonia, PA Ann M. Cuddy, Lakeville linked by a network of parks, forests, and trails Stewardship $ 500 Samuel G. Dodd, North Andover, MA easily accessible for all people to challenge the Leadership $1000 John E. Hibbard, Hebron body and refresh the spirit. We picture a state Philip H. Jones, Jr., Shelton where clean water, timber, farm fresh foods and Edward A. Richardson, Glastonbury L.P.Sperry, Jr., Middlebury other products of the land make a significant Sally L. Taylor, Mystic contribution to our economic and cultural Henry H. Townshend, New Haven well-being.

Staff Executive Director, Eric Hammerling, West Hartford Connecticut Woodlands Director of Development, James W. Little, Hebron Published quarterly by the Printed on recycled paper Office Manager, Teresa Peters, Durham Connecticut Forest & Park Association, Financial Management Assistant, Linda Cunningham, Portland Land Conservation Director, Damon Hearne, Higganum 16 Meriden Road, Education Director, Lori Paradis Brant, Beacon Falls Rockfall, CT 06481-2961. WalkCT Director, Leslie Lewis, Lyme Indexed in the Connecticut Periodical Index, WalkCT Communications Coordinator, Jennifer Benner, Roxbury ISSN 00106257. Forester & Program Director,Goodwin Forest Center,Steve Broderick, Eastford Telephone: 860-346-2372.

EDITOR, Christine Woodside Fax: 860-347-7463. GRAPHIC DESIGNER, Karen Ward E-mail address: [email protected] World Wide Web site: http://www.ctwoodlands.org

2 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS Summer 2009 CONNECTICUT Woodlands

The Magazine of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association Summer 2009 Volume 74 Number 2

Contents FEATURES DEPARTMENTS

6 Connecticut’s Organic Farmers. From 4 President’s Message. Big doings in a (relatively) Dewy-Eyed Beginners to Grizzled Lifers. small organization. By David Platt. The membership of the state chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Associa- tion includes a diverse group of full-time 5 Executive Director’s Message. How gardening and part-time growers. Meet some of resembles strategic planning. them here. By Penelope Overton. By Eric Hammerling.

My farming ancestors, my father’s 11 Community Gardening Thrives. Tales from 4 Editor’s Note. the field. By Christine Woodside. attempt at tomatoes, and my first lousy garden. By Christine Woodside.

12 His Father’s Voice Echoes: Time to Grow Food. “If he had lived long enough, he 18 Try This Hike. Hancock Brook Trail, Waterbury. would have gotten a kick out of seeing By Stephen Wood. me come around to this planting.” By Lee May. 20 Essential Facts of Life. Growing young gardeners. By Lori Paradis Brant. 14 Move Over, Kentucky Bluegrass. The veggies are back in Washington. Strawberry love. Delicate fruits By Jennifer Benner. 22 From the Land. that keep a farmer humble. By Jean Crum Jones. George Purtill, the accountant turned 16 A Career in Trees. An illustrated tribute to lawyer and farmer who owns and oper- the late David Smith, the influential ates Old Maids Farm in Glastonbury, is forester who left a legacy in Connecticut. 23 From the Archives. The handshake. checking the condition of the turkey and Connecticut hiking trails exist through chicken eggs incubating. Two turkeys landowners’ generosity. By James W. Little. have hatched within the last few hours. Penelope Overton 24 Book Reviews. Digging deep into a journey with David Leff. By Robert M. Ricard.

25 WalkCT. A fruitful walk. Walking without realizing it’s exercise. By Jennifer Benner.

26 On the Trails. New England National Scenic Trail is official.

27 Environmental News Briefs. Headlines from around the state.

On the Cover: Homegrown vegetables, fresh from the garden of Jennifer Benner.

Photo by Jennifer Benner.

Summer 2009 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS 3 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

BIG DOINGS IN A (RELATIVELY) SMALL ORGANIZATION

BY DAVID PLATT

or a relatively small organization in one of the smaller The economy. Not surprisingly, CFPA has responded to the states in the union, the Connecticut Forest & Park financial downturn by reducing our expenses and restructuring FAssociation had no shortage of significant events this our organization. year. Membership. Historically, this has been a quiet association that tended to operate in the background to accomplish big MMM Trail. As most are aware by now, in late March, Pres- ident Obama signed into law a bill establishing the Metacomet- things. As a result, we have fewer members than we would like. Monadnock-Mattebesett trails in Connecticut and Massachu- This is changing. We are working to raise our public profile in setts as the New England National Scenic Trail. The CFPA, the conservation community by publicizing our programs. We are putting more signs on the more than 800 miles of Blue- which maintains the route of these trails in this state, supported CFPA President Blazed Hiking Trails to make sure hikers are aware that CFPA’s this designation, which gives these trails visibility. Now we are David Platt busy extending the MMM Trail south to Long Island Sound volunteers established and maintain these trails. We are spon- and figuring out ways to work with willing trail-host landowners to pro- soring more events for our members and the general public tect the lands that host the trail. (including the bigger and better Trails Day weekend that offered more than 130 hikes June 6 and 7—the nation’s largest) and we have launched Strategic planning. Many organizations treat this as a necessary evil. At our CFPA News & Notes newsletter that, together with Connecticut CFPA, we recently embraced it, adopting a new plan and renewing Woodlands, provides us with another way to reach our members with energy and commitment among our board and staff. (See Eric Hammer- timely information about CFPA programs and activities. We are getting ling’s message for more.) bolder at asking loyal members to introduce others to the Association.

WalkCT. WalkCT is our newest initiative to get people out on trails of Stop by our headquarters in Middlefield, come to one of our member all kinds across Connecticut, promoting active lives and keener apprecia- events, or drop us a line and let us know how we are doing. We want to tion of the outdoors. See the new WalkCT Web site at www.walkct.org. hear from you.

EDITOR’S NOTE

MY FARMING ANCESTORS, MY FATHER’S ATTEMPT AT TOMATOES, AND MY FIRST LOUSY GARDEN BY CHRISTINE WOODSIDE ing with delight. That was the sum total of my gardening training when I encountered the Philadelphia gardeners, who told me that if they left it ne of the stupidest articles I ever wrote came slipping out a unlocked, the garden was not going to be safe from loiterers, litterers, or few decades back, when a community group in Philadelphia perhaps the homeless. They were charitable enough, but they knew that Oplanted a vegetable garden and invited the press to the seed to grow food, you must be practical, while I was on my high horse. planting. I was a 23-year-old associate editor of a city weekly. At the seed But the farming gene revealed itself several years later, when I found planting, community activists handed me a trowel, and I reluctantly knelt myself living on a school campus in Westbrook, Connecticut, on the down in my pointy flats and blue-jean skirt in the newly turned soil. My ground floor of an old house with wraparound porch and back and side heart was not in it because I was then so principled that I had something yards. I planted my first garden with our then-2-year-old, Elizabeth, and on my mind separate from the vegetables. The fence around the large I never missed a year gardening after that. I have learned that no matter garden irritated me. It did more. It led me to proclaim in print that a where you grow food, protecting it from harm—whether litter, deer, community garden hidden by a fence was wrong. moles, dogs, or your friend’s feet—must come first. In a column I wrote on the Philadelphia community gardening move- What I had failed to see in Philadelphia was that setting up a garden is ment that appeared the next week, I clung to my notion that everyone enormously difficult. Just securing the lot must have taken months, per- should have access to public gardens, and that to lock them behind chain- haps years. Placing and paying for a fence was another hurdle. I should link fences — a typical approach in Philadelphia gardens I visited that year have cheered. — was to act exclusive in a place and during a movement in which the most In this issue, we explore the many ways that people have turned serious participants claimed not to be so. On paper, my idea was not terri- unlikely plots of land into productive vegetable patches, and how unlikely ble, but it reeked of inexperience. people may—if they spend the time and care—do the same against many My ancestors farmed in South Jersey for centuries. My grandfather, odds. Look at what happened to me: I transformed from skeptical Amos Woodside, left that life for a union job. But farming doesn’t leave reporter who thought environmental justice meant loosing the crowds on your blood. My father, a banker who had grown up poor in Trenton, Eden to a vegetable gardener who every year struggles (with my patient tried to grow tomatoes one year in our Princeton, New Jersey yard. When husband) to erect a net-covered scaffolding to keep the birds off my blue- one tomato struggled to life, he came running into the kitchen exclaim- berries.

4 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS Summer 2009 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

HOW GARDENING RESEMBLES STRATEGIC PLANNING

BY ERIC HAMMERLING may seem strange at first to compare gardening to forest for the University of Connecticut, protect more than 5 strategic planning. One is primarily an indoor pur- miles of the Blue-Blazed Nipmuck Trail, and conserve more It suit, but beyond that difference are many more sim- than 550 acres of forest in addition to conserving more than ilarities. Gardening and strategic planning start with basic 400 acres of additional lands. questions: “What do you want to grow?” and “Where do you CFPA also remains a strong advocate for sustainable forestry, want to grow it?” Both endeavors consider other questions: state parks and forests, funding for the Connecticut Depart- “What resources do we need to be successful?” and “How ment of Environmental Protection, and regulation of all-ter- will we know if we are successful?” Both consider contingen- rain vehicles; provides hands-on environmental education cies and mid-course corrections that depend on prevailing experiences and training for educators, students, and families; conditions. Both involve multiple approaches to overcome maintains the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail System with hundreds obstacles and build upon successes. There are tried and true of volunteers and thousands of hours of volunteer time; and methods as well as innovative and untested ones, and both CFPA publishes what we believe are outstanding publications, such as have a fighting chance. Timing is everything, a little luck is Executive Director Connecticut Woodlands and a new newsletter, CFPA News & involved, and both involve getting your hands dirty with Eric Hammerling Notes. focused, hard work. At the same time that the Association’s garden continues to Much of this issue is focused on gardening, so I’ll take this bear sweet fruits for Connecticut, the metaphorical soil, nutri- opportunity to give our readers insight into the development of the Con- ents, and roots that support our vitality are growing thin. We must tend necticut Forest & Park Association’s strategic plan for 2009–2012. our garden with the fundamentals of sustainability—fundraising, mem- Before looking forward, we evaluated our last strategic plan and felt opti- bership development, and organizational governance—while ensuring mistic. that we are growing the right mix of programs that will secure the Blue Between 2002 and 2008, some of the Association’s most notable Trails, ensure healthy forests, educate the public, and continue to connect accomplishments (not an exhaustive list) included: launched the WalkCT people to the land. program to provide a statewide resource for rural, suburban, and urban I invite you to get involved with CFPA’s “garden” to help lay the walking opportunities and broaden CFPA’s constituency; established a groundwork for conserving Connecticut. Although you may not always full-time land conservation staff position to protect significant forest see immediate returns, keep in mind the Greek proverb, “A society parcels, land associated with the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails, and provide grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they will stewardship of more than 1,700-plus acres of Association lands or con- never sit in.” servation easements; and initiated efforts to secure a permanent research

Advertising About Connecticut Forest & Park Association and Rates for Connecticut Woodlands Magazine Connecticut Woodands Connecticut Woodlands is a quarterly magazine published since 1895 by CFPA, the private, non-profit organization dedicaed to conserving the land, trails, Half page: and natural resources of Connecticut. $180 per issue Members of CFPA receive the magazine in the mail in January, $600 yearly (four issues) April, July, and October. CFPA also publishes a newsletter several times a year. Quarter page: $90 per issue For more information about CFPA, to join or donate $300 yearly. online, visit our newly expanded website, www.ctwoodlands.org, or call 860-346-2372. Eighth page: Give the gift of $60 per issue membership in CFPA . $200 yearly Contact Jim Little at Design services available 860-346-2372 . for a fee.

Summer 2009 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS 5 From Dewy-Eyed Beginners to Grizzled Lifers Connecticut’s ORGANIC FARMERS

The membership of the state chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association includes a diverse group of full-time and part-time growers. Meet some of them here.

BY PENELOPE OVERTON

rganic farmers are as different from each other as the heirloom tomato varieties they grow in Otheir composted fields and solar-powered greenhouses. Some are as sweet as a striped Georgia Streak, embracing crop rotation and green manure like a religion. Others are as tart as a Black Krim, rejecting her- bicides and pesticides because they can’t stomach the thought of using chemicals. Organic farmers represent the

6 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS Summer 2009 old and new. They champion the cultivation methods and seed strains of long ago, but they exhibit a certain hipness that draws a crowd at the farmers’ markets. The membership of the Connecticut chapter of Northeast Organic Farming Association is Bill Duesing, the executive just as diverse and as colorful. They are a differ- director and founder of the ent breed than conventional modern farmers, Connecticut Chapter of the and no two NOFA members are alike in moti- Northeast Organic Farming vation, principles, or practice. As a group, their Association, in its Oxford diversity helps keep organic farmers strong. As headquarters, which was the movement to eat local and organic food where Duesing and his fam- grows, the farmers must survive the trials of a ily once lived. Duesing also rampant aphid infestation and the tribulations raises chickens and vegetables of a proposed ban on the retail sale of raw milk. on the property. The demand for organic food has never been higher, according to the U.S. Department of Penelope Overton Agriculture. Organic products, including food, grew 17.1 percent in 2008 despite the weak Nature’s Ally economy. Organic food accounts for 3.5 per- Carole Miller grows medicinal and culinary cent of all food sold in America. The number herbs in Coventry on land her grandfather of farmers’ markets in Connecticut has climbed bought shortly after emigrating from Lithua- to about 120, including a few, like New Haven nia in 1914. She uses organic approaches and Stonington, that remain open all winter. such as plant-based fertilizers and benefi- Despite a growing number of Connecticut cial insects to become nature’s ally. farms, now at about 40, that sell shares of their harvest to customers who pay up front, the From Finance to Farming state’s organic farmers report long waiting lists At the age of 51, Mark Palladino had never of customers from as far away as New York and grown a vegetable in his life, but the school Massachusetts seeking weekly harvests of fin- gerling potatoes, sweet peas, or pears. teacher turned finance director quit his In light of the increased demand, coupled white-collar job to apprentice at a Roxbury with a rash of food recalls, the dwindling sup- farm before growing organic vegetables on ply of good, affordable farmland available to 10 leased acres at the Bristol Farm in Canton. the next generation of farmers, and the debate brewing over the subsidies and food-safety Green Gardens and Grocers requirements of the new federal farm bill, now A one-time truck driver, Alice Rubin started is a good time to take a look at these most prin- working at the Willimantic Food Coop about cipled of farmers, those who try to earn a living 25 years ago and is now general manager growing chemical-free food. of the 5,000-member organization that buys The farmers of NOFA, which number about local organic produce. She also grows 110, include dewy-eyed beginners as well as herbs and flowers in her Lebanon green- grizzled lifers farming their family’s lands, houses. “save-the-planet” crusaders and Harvard-edu- Penelope Overton Melynda Naples, the owner of Deerfield Farm, cated pragmatists, weekend hobbyists, and full- Next Generation of Organic a raw milk dairy in Durham. She is a mem- time professionals. There is the martial arts Like many agricultural school graduates, ber of Northeast Organic Farming Organiza- instructor who blends natural farming with the Paul Bucciaglia thought he couldn’t make a tion and, at age 26, is one of the new genera- study of Aikido, the lawyer who runs the state’s living farming. But a decade ago, the young largest certified organic farm in his spare time, tion of organic farmers in Connecticut. Naugatuck native quit his lab job, maxed out and the former PhD chemists who now grow his credit cards, and launched Fort Hill Farm chemical-free mizuna and celeriac. on leased land in New Milford. It’s one of “People Thought We Were Crazy” called Harmony Ranch. His first herb garden the biggest organic CSAs (“community sup- ported agriculture” farms) in Connecticut. The state chapter of the organic farming stirred up childhood memories of his uncle’s organization started with Bill Duesing. He farm in upstate New York as a kid, and soon he Diversify, Diversify, Diversify began farming in 1969, when he and four artist was growing his own food. Three generations of Wingates farm organ- friends created a small commune in Oxford By 1971, Mr. Duesing, a soft-spoken art and architecture graduate, had founded the state ically along the border of Voluntown, North chapter of NOFA. Soon after, he began Old Stonington, and Rhode Island. The eldest, Solar Farm in the Oxford woods. He’s still Dick and Dot, grow everything from aspara- A close-up view of Tom Thumb lettuce, a there, farming, and acting as the state chapter’s gus to zucchini. Their daughter, Belinda, miniature, compact Butterhead variety that is executive director. “NOFA was born out of the also raises chickens, pigs, and beef cattle. about the size of a tennis ball. This grows at whole stuff of the 1960s and ’70s,” Mr. Their grandsons are launching a dairy Dick and Dot Wingate’s farm in Voluntown. Duesing said. “We were reading Rachel Car- operation. Penelope Overton continued on page 8

Summer 2009 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS 7 Penelope Overton Dick Wingate, a former Ledyard High School shop teacher who has been farming for 46 years, Organic farmers prunes flowers growing with his rhubarb at Studio Farm in Voluntown. This saves more nutrients for the rhubarb until harvest. In the background, his drip irrigation system and a former gas sta- continued from page 7 tion, now tractor shed. son, horrified by Agent Orange and yearning to reconnect with the land. Nobody was talk- people have attended the state chapter’s annual “How do we feed ourselves without destroying ing organics. People thought we were crazy.” introduction to organic farming conference. this planet? That problem must be solved if we Mr. Duesing raised pigs for 30 years to recy- Every week, Mr. Duesing fields calls from peo- want to continue our existence.” cle food waste from New Haven and to enrich ple seeking information on how to get started. George Purtill runs the largest certified his soil. Now he raises chickens for eggs, and The state chapter has worked to expand the organic farming operation in Connecticut, but greens and vegetables in greenhouses, and image of the “organic farmer”—that is, anyone ask him why he chose to grow organic, and gazes out on a forest filled with healthy chest- with the energy and commitment to grow he’ll give you a strange look. The kind of look nuts, butternuts, and black walnuts. From plants and raise animals naturally—by reaching this licensed lawyer usually reserves for his inside a house he built on a high ledge there out to gardeners and landscapers who want to courtroom opponents. “I didn’t choose to go three decades ago, Mr. Duesing works the leave their chemicals behind. The state chapter organic,” Mr. Purtill said, perched in the seat phones and the computers to lobby politicians, wrote the nation’s first standards for organic of a big John Deere tractor on a sunny April organize educational seminars, and edit land care and now offers a five-day accredita- morning. “I wanted to farm. To me, there was NOFA’s quarterly publication, Gleanings. The tion course in organic land care. no choice. If you want to farm, you do it right, group serves as a launching pad, an educational and that means organic.” forum, and a networking tool. It teaches farm- “If You Want to Farm, Do It Right” His family admits that some conventional ers how to sell their products and how to farm farmers see Mr. Purtill as someone who plays organically—such as how to make natural fer- Despite the trendiness of local, organic food, farmer on the weekend. He does not “make his tilizer out of nettles, horsetail, and comfrey. Mr. Duesing and other chemical-free farmers sandwich” on the farm, they would say. (The The Connecticut chapter began with 50 laugh at the idea that people are diving into expression means that farming is a sideline members, mostly people who wanted to learn organic farming, or farming of any kind, to business for him; if he fails, he will be all right.) how to farm naturally and were looking for capitalize on a food fad or a shift in the agricul- He isn’t under the same pressure. If his peppers guidance they could not seem to find anywhere tural market. For organic farmers, their liveli- fail, he’ll simply try another case. That might else. It has grown to 750 members and hoods intersect with their environmental be true, but Mr. Purtill’s operation is too big to includes gardeners, landscapers, and con- ethics. “I think they really believe local organic be a lark. He grows vegetables and organic sumers. For the last several years, about 50 food is very important,” Mr. Duesing said. grain corn on rotating fields across 86 acres

8 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS Summer 2009 along the Connecticut River, raises grass-fed ally, Mr. Purtill admitted that perhaps he had and pastured heritage chickens and turkeys, become a little too successful. His operation and runs a cider mill. He’s in deep, economi- had grown so large over the last few years that The Meaning cally and emotionally. he decided to stop selling his produce through He supplies organic vegetables to Whole shares to consumers—a practice known as of Organic Foods and area restaurants, makes farm brand community-supported agriculture, or CSA. in Connecticut tomato sauce and salsa, and has launched a suc- This year, his faithful customers will have to cessful compost and mulch operation that has take their chances at his farm stand. Although they embrace natural him scrambling most weekends. The success means a lot to him, but Mr. Pur- methods, and belong to a group with Some agriculture officials have wondered if till, who grew up working on his neighbor’s the very word organic in its title, most the poor economy would weaken public farm and wanted his children to have that same farming members of the Connecticut demand for organic food, which is usually experience, considers Old Maids Farm equal more expensive than produce grown with Chapter of Northeast Organic Farming continued on page 10 chemical assistance in huge, far-flung farms. So Association aren’t certified as organic far, that has not happened. Mr. Purtill said he Like any modern farmer, George Purtill, the by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, believes that the contamination of spinach, let- owner of Old Maids Farm in the only agency that can bestow that tuce, tomatoes, and peanut crops have made Glastonbury, has his cell phone in his hand as title. many people more conscious of the origins of he works — here, stacking squash crates while Only 22 of the 110 farms that belong their food, and that naturally pushes consumers talking to a customer. toward small, local organic farms like his. Actu- to the state chapter of NOFA have Penelope Overton endured the rigorous annual inspec- tions and paid the substantial fees required to call themselves “organic” in the federal government sense. Another dozen Connecticut farms are certified as organic, but do not belong to NOFA. All but two of the remaining farming NOFA members have signed the NOFA chapter’s Farmer’s Pledge to reject chemical enhancers, like pesticides or hormones in the feed, treat their farm workers and livestock humanely and leave the land better than they found it. Members of Connecticut NOFA who take the Farmer’s Pledge receive a signed copy that they can display for customers and neighbors to view, but NOFA does not investigate the farm or guarantee the farmer is honoring the pledge. Farmers cite different reasons for not seeking federal organic certification, such as the certification fee, the prohi- bition against using antibiotics to treat sick livestock, and the burdensome record keeping that documents a prod- uct from field to table. Some do both, obtaining organic cer- tification and signing the Farmer’s Pledge. Some have gone even farther, using solar power to fuel their farms or paying their farmhands, including migrant workers and apprentices, a liv- ing wage or allowing their consumers to trade labor in the field for fresh produce.

Summer 2009 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS 9 in Durham, hopscotching around their daugh- It hasn’t been easy for Ms. Naples. She said Organic farmers ters’ plastic toys and the friendly barn cat to that people told her she was crazy to sell raw continued from page 9 begin their morning ritual. In between sips of milk, then that she was crazy for not seeking their Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, they spread hay organic certification. Then the state’s Depart- parts business and philosophy. “I’m a Whole for their 21 Jersey cows, usher them into their ment of Agriculture tried to outlaw the sale of Earth Catalog kind of guy,” Mr. Purtill said, milking stalls, and clean their teats with an raw milk in stores. Although the bill died “but I don’t go to sleep at night thinking, iodine spray that they gently remove with a soft before it could get to a vote, Connecticut Agri- ‘Thank God I saved the planet today.’ More cloth dipped in warm water. Then Ms. Naples culture Commissioner F. Philip Prelli sup- like I’m thinking, ‘Oh gee, did I close the barn hooks a vacuum-operated milking machine, ported it, and Ms. Naples knows it could come door?’ I’ve got too much accountant in me for which weighs about five pounds, up to four back at any time. But her customer base is all that cosmic talk.” cows at a time. At four to six minutes per cow, loyal, driving up to an hour on weekends to In Hard Times, the whole milking takes no more than 35 min- buy her milk, yogurt, and cheese that she Encouraging Statistics utes. The process repeats each morning and stocks in her farm stand, which, like so many afternoon. others in Connecticut, still operates on the Every year, the National Agricultural Statis- What happens next — or, rather, what does honor system. tics Service takes the temperature of the farm- not happen next — makes Deerfield Farm Most important, Ms. Naples, Mr. Larkin, ing world. At the rate at which farms are disap- unusual. Each of Ms. Naples’ Jerseys makes and their young daughters, Reba and pearing across the United States, NASS reports about 40 to 50 pounds of milk per day, but Gabrielle, are having fun. Naples will sing can sometimes read like a grim prognosis for a most of the milk will not be pasteurized. That along to Carrie Underwood songs while Reba, dying patient. In 2008, 4,900 farms were oper- makes her farm one of the few raw milk pro- otherwise known as “Peanut,” pokes a patient, ating in Connecticut—16 fewer than the year ducers in Connecticut. It is a niche that the 26- grain-munching cow. Even Naples’s mom, before. The number of acres used for farming year-old, who grew up drinking raw milk, is Ruth, helps out. had dropped by 56 to about 400,000. And, as eager to fill. Although she feeds her cows grass, In the graying farming community, such it has been for years, the average age of farmers allows them to graze in pastures, and does not youth and optimism tastes even sweeter than increased, inching up to 58. inject them with growth hormones, Deerfield Ms. Naples’ strawberry yogurt, which is just a Despite this worrisome scenario, the reports Farm is not officially organic. Ms. Naples shade lighter than the cotton candy colored nail indicate Connecticut’s organic farmers are signed the Connecticut NOFA Farmer’s polish that coats her milk and iodine-stained doing well. They are younger than their con- Pledge, but refuses to give up occasional fingertips. “I know this is a business, but they’re ventional counterparts, averaging just under 54 medicinal antibiotics. my family, too,” Ms. Naples said as she stroked years of age. In dollars and cents, the average “If my kid was sick, I wouldn’t refuse them the head of a cow named Tara. “We don’t work organic farm in Connecticut earns $38,000 a medicine,” she said. “I rarely do it. I’d guess them too hard because it will break them down. year; conventional farms earn $25,081 a year. maybe three or four times a year I have a sick I want to have these cows 12, 14, 16 years. The fact that NASS is even documenting cow that needs it, and when I know they need They’ll grow up with my girls.” organic agriculture is a sign of success. It was- it, I don’t hesitate. I’m not going to let a cow n’t so long ago that NASS, a division of the die to get certification.” But her cows don’t get Penelope Overton of New Haven is a newspaper U.S. Department of Agriculture, had nothing sick very often. A healthy food stock and life and freelance journalist with more than 15 years’ to say, good or bad, about organic operations. style keeps the Jerseys healthy and vet bills low, experience covering the environment, ethnic com- This spring, the U.S. Department of Agricul- which is exactly what a four-year-old farm short munities, and eccentricities of New England and ture sent out its first census of organic farmers. on capital and long on dreams really needs. the Southwest. Even though it arrived in the spring, at what is one of the busiest times on a farm, Connecti- cut’s organic farmers say they welcome the attention. “It’s like they just woke up and real- ized we’re here to stay,” said Dick Wingate, a certified organic farmer in Voluntown. “They want to know how much money we made from organics, which gave us a chuckle. Didn’t see any place on the form to write in how many families we keep healthy.” The government, banks, and schools that underwrite conventional farmers have not completely embraced organic farmers, who are still at a disadvantage when asking bankers for a loan or getting market value from insurers for a lost organic crop, according to Mr. Duesing. But that may be changing. In May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced organic farmers would be getting $50 million from the 2009 Organic Farm Initiative to meet the Obama administration’s promise to encourage more organic agriculture production.

Filling a Niche Penelope Overton At 7 a.m., Melynda Naples and her fiancé, This is Tara, one of the 21 Jersey cows that provide raw milk at Deerfield Farm in Durham. The Jeremy “Stu” Larkin, march into the long owner, Melynda Naples, knows the name of every cow, and limits the amount of milk she takes from milking barn that sits on top of Parmelee Hill the cows each day to prolong their usefulness and their lives.

10 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS Summer 2009 Tales from the field C OMMUNITY G ARDENS T HRIVE

BY CHRISTINE WOODSIDE In America, gardening is and has never stopped. That sounds a little surprising in a state with some of the classic bedroom communities such as Darien n a healthy town every family can the number one hobby, and Greenwich. Census statistics still reveal a giant grow vegetables for itself. The time is wave of people in Fairfield County who commute to “Ipast to think of this as a hobby for and lately many people New York and look at their home soil only at night. enthusiasts; it is a fundamental part of human life.” But wait. Darien and Greenwich have community So wrote Christopher Alexander and his architect are thinking more about gardens. The face of the state in this regard does not colleagues in a book that sketches ideal towns, yield to that tired stereotype of a land of discon- common space, and houses, A Pattern Language the sources of their food. nected commuters. (Oxford University Press, 1977). In this giant little Consider one of the older community gardens in book — about 8 inches high but 1,171 pages long the state, which claimed a floodplain near the Pom- — the team laid out 253 principles of good living, But the interest in peraug River in Southbury in the early 1970s. The or “patterns.” This book can change your life as it Heritage Village River Garden is a large complex of reminds you that people really prefer living in little growing food communally raised beds tended by retired residents of Heritage communities — whether within or without cities. Village, a condominium complex. In the late winter The book identifies what you need or want. That is, began in Connecticut and early spring, the beds sometimes sit under water. hourly access to water, plants, sunlight, the hearth, For a garden, seasonal flooding is desirable. Wasn’t conversation, private nooks, a big kitchen table, three decades ago and has this what drew farmers to river valleys in New England animals, walkways, and our food sources. Our in the first place? apparent need to grow something edible for our- never stopped. In New Haven, several neighborhood gardens, selves, or to know how to do so, falls under Pattern both for vegetables and for other kinds of gardens, 177, Vegetable Garden. have taken over vacant lots after volunteers spent hours clearing them Half of the state’s towns are home to at least one community gar- of debris. The New Haven Land Trust Inc. helped residents bring in den, as Cordalie Benoit, president of the Connecticut Community compost, soil, and expertise. Gardening Association, explained recently. Many of these gardens In the mid-1960s, in memory of a woman named Betty Knox, the have been growing every year for decades. We were sitting inside her Knox Parks Foundation started in Hartford. Its main garden is Eliza- door in the New Haven row house she shares with her husband. Out- beth Park, but it manages community gardening space in several side their city door sit potted herbs catching the sun. They moved areas. Residents pay a modest fee to secure a garden plot for the sea- here only a year ago but have been spending much time in New son and help with the work. Haven since 2001, when Ms. Benoit began pursuing her master’s In Bridgeport, three years ago, the Connecticut Community Gar- degree in environmental management at the Yale School of Forestry dening Association wrote a plan to have the city buy vacant city plots & Environmental Studies. Before that, they lived in the more coun- that were being eyed for other sorts of development. “We testified try setting of Newtown, in western Connecticut, for many years. Ms. before the Common Council,” Ms. Benoit said. “We try to make Benoit, a retired lawyer and community manager, said that in Amer- communities see that gardens are development.” People need to have ica gardening is the number one hobby and that lately many people some connection to plants, especially food on the vine or bush, as are thinking more about the sources of their food. But the interest in keenly as they need housing. growing food communally began in Connecticut three decades ago continued on page 27 Photo above, watering broccoli at the Shoreline Soup Kitchen garden. Bob Lorenz

Summer 2009 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS 11 His Father’s Voice Echoes: TIME TO GROW FOOD

“If he had lived long enough, he would have gotten a kick out of seeing me come around to this planting.”

BY LEE MAY

his is the year. It’s been a long time coming, but finally, I’m starting to feel like a food grower. Although I have been an impassioned ornamental gardener for decades, my rela- T tionship with food plants has been less than steady; over the years, I’ve flirted with this crop and that, reaping mixed results. Fortunately, I got the hang of tomatoes years ago, realizing that if I didn’t grow my own, I’d have to eat those cardboard ones from the grocery store. Similarly, this year I decided that life’s too short to eat less than the best asparagus, so, on a per- fect blue-sky day in April, I dug three trenches and planted 15 asparagus crowns, anticipating years of good eating when the flavorful spears are ready to harvest. Depending on which expert you read, that’ll be in the second or third growing season, but as I’ve waited this long to plant the crop, what’s another year or two? As my father used to say, “A garden and a home are for people who got patience.” If he had lived long enough, he would have gotten a kick out of seeing me come around to this planting. Years ago, I was admiring his garden in Meridian, Mississippi, a long, narrow space filled with rows of tasty food—collards, corn, butterbeans, peas, tomatoes, peanuts, okra, and much more. “So, what are you growing in your garden over there in Atlanta,” he asked. “Oh, I’m growing rhododendron, Japanese black pines, azaleas, Japanese maples, bamboo, ferns, and a lot of other plants.” “But what do you grow for food?” “Well,” I said, “there’s rosemary, sage, thyme, cilantro and some others.” He just shook his head, not saying it but no doubt thinking, “Boy’s wasting space.” His space was a marvelous Victory Garden, inspired by a belief among generations that land, precious land, was designed to grow food for people who could not afford to buy from stores. Flowers instead of food was a frivolous thing. 

And, now, Victory Gardens are here again, or, this time around, recession gardens, gardens for the environment, gardens of good food. As such gardens go, mine is fledgling, and not nearly as polished as the one at the Obama White House. But I’m heading in the right direction, down a road of harmonic convergence marked by a push-pull effect—the push of the economy and the pull of environmentalism. Many of us are convinced that home gardens can save us money and do something to offset the damage done to land, water, and air by huge agricultural businesses that run on too many poisons, fertilizers, and fossil fuels. Those who are new to food growing likely will discover the simple truth that for me is reason enough to grow something to eat: It tastes so much better than store-bought. Take tomatoes, or ’maters, as we natives of the South call them. What can you buy that com- pares to a sun-warmed tomato, plucked from the vine and popped into your mouth, its juice driz- zling down your chin? Or sliced and put between two pieces of bread, along with a few basil leaves and some salt, pepper and olive oil? (These days, I’m growing my tomatoes upside down, each plant in a hanging bucket, its top sticking through a hole cut out of the bucket’s bottom.) Like so much in life, my food growing has been a process of evolution. Back in May of 1993, sometime after my confession about favoring rosemary over radish, my father tried to help me grow real food. As my wife, Lyn, and I were about to end our visit with him and head back to Atlanta, he thrust a little cardboard can at me, a starter collection of seeds, including okra, cayenne pepper, tomato, watermelon, corn kernels, peanuts. “Take these,” he said, assuring me I could

continued on page 26

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Summer 2009 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS 13 MOVE OVER, Star ting a Garden KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS VEGETABLES AND The veggies are back in Washington HERBS NEED: Light: Edible plants like full sun. Be sure to place them in a spot that receives at least six to eight hours of BY JENNIFER BENNER direct sunlight each day to optimize growth and get the highest yields. hen I first signed “Eat the View,” an online petition for a victory garden at the White House last January, I thought I was supporting another good idea that would never Soil: Well-draining, humus-rich loam Wcome to fruition. I knew I was one of many passionate gardeners out there, but was our is the ideal soil. Give your plot an collective voice loud enough to be heard? Could our cause possibly rise to the top with so many annual boost of organic matter other worthy initiatives out there? (preferably in the fall) by turning a 2- This is one case where I was absolutely delighted to eat my words. In March, First Lady Michelle to 3-inch-layer of compost or rotted Obama and a group of shovel-wielding fifth-graders participated in the ceremonial groundbreaking manure to help build and maintain for the first White House vegetable garden since Eleanor Roosevelt’s plot was planted in the 1940s. your soil’s structure. If you do not The 1,100-square-foot garden will supply fresh greens, herbs, and vegetables for the First Family have the best soil, consider building and White House guests. It will also supply something more — a raised beds or growing your plants in good example. Helpful Sources containers. Soil testing and gardening Vegetable gardening nourishes our bodies, wallets, and the envi- If Mother Nature is not doing information: Water: ronment. In a time when obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are so already, be sure to give your kitchen Take advantage of our becoming more the norm, it is now more important than ever to garden plants a regular drink of water. wonderful Connecticut make healthy dietary choices. Part of the challenge is the expense. These plants do not like to dry out, Cooperative Extension System Many vegetables at the grocery store cost more than unhealthy but also do not like overly wet condi- foods such as potato chips or cookies. Growing your own bounty (www.extension.uconn.edu). tions. Consider using soaker hoses or at home is a healthy option with big rewards and few expenses. Besides its eight offices in each drip irrigation (placed in the garden at Most seed packets cost a couple of dollars yet yield pounds and county, it maintains a toll-free planting time) to water because over- continued on page 27 help line at 877-486-6271. head sprinklers can encourage leaf dis- eases.

Nutrients: Many vegetables, such as squashes, are heavy feeders. Giving them a few doses of organic fertilizer throughout the season will keep plants healthy and productive. To find out which nutrients your soil is lacking, have it tested.

Ideal placement: Move your crops to new places each year. Wait three years before growing them again in the same spot. Crop rotation helps to prevent insect and disease problems as well as nutrient depletion.

Feed Others Some vegetable plants produce more than we can ever possibly eat, which is not always a bad thing. Contact Connecticut food bank organizations to learn how you can donate or lend a helping hand and Bon appetit, President Obama: provide healthy food to those who need it. The White House posted this map of the new victory garden this spring. Foodshare: 860-286-9999 www.foodshare.org Connecticut Food Bank: 203-469-5000 www.ctfoodbank.org

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Summer 2009 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS 15 AC AREERIN T REES

An illustrated tribute to the late David Smith, the influential forester who left a legacy in Connecticut

David M. Smith left a legacy in Connecticut forestry. The emer- itus professor of silviculture at Yale School of Forestry & Envi- ronmental Studies died on March 10. With the help of his fam- ily, we have assembled a small album of photographs of the cam- era-shy Dr. Smith. (To read his full obituary, see Connecticut Wood- lands, Spring 2009, page 26.)

All photographs courtesy of Ellen Smith

In 1990, his retirement year, Dr. Smith posed for this rare portrait.

A sawing contest at the University of Arkansas in March 1995 gave Dr. Smith a chance to work one end of a crosscut saw.

This group shot was taken on July 30, 1992, on top of a hill called South Pole in the Great Mountain Forest in Norfolk, Connecticut. This family-owned forest houses the Yale Camp, where Dr. Smith certainly spent time teaching and doing research. Left to right: Herb Winer, the late Ted Childs, Dr. Smith, Hannah Winer, Dr. Smith’s wife, Catherine “Bobby” Smith, and the late Elisabeth Childs.

16 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS Summer 2009 Forestry students and others affiliated with the Yale-Myers Forest in northeastern Connecticut joined Dr. Smith, second from right, on a trip to mark the centennial of the school forest in October 2000. Also in the photo are Mr. and Mrs. Ian Cameron, center, and Yale Forestry stu- dent Alex Finkral, right.

This photo is believed to show Dr. Smith visiting Weyerhaeuser near Olympia, Washington, in January 1988.

David M. Smith outside, location unknown, in 1986, four years before he retired.

Summer 2009 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS 17 TRY THIS HIKE Hancock Brook Trail, Waterbury

BY STEPHEN WOOD summit, passing vernal pools and stands of white birch along the way. You may notice the territorial scat markings of coyotes. These animals deposit like to tell hikers about trails in Connecticut close to urban centers. their scat in the middle of trails and roads to make it as visible as possible, These paths feel remote and offer respite from the cities that are so and there seems to be a rather healthy population of them here. I near. Of course, in a relative sense, all of Connecticut’s trails are near Lion Head is not an impressive height, but it somehow feels like it. It urban areas (compared with, say, Maine or Colorado), but the Hancock offers views across the valley to the east, as well as expansive views south Brook Trail is in the midst of one: a 2.8-mile loop that begins and ends and southwest. The rocks of the cliff below is a preferred spot for turkey on a dead-end street in Waterbury, very near old factories and a train yard. vultures, and there is a good chance hikers will be rewarded with close-up Before you prematurely judge it, rest assured that the Hancock Brook views of the birds gliding on the updrafts seemingly just out of reach. This is the second of two great picnic or break spots along the trail; the first Trail is a beautiful and fun hike, despite its apparently not-so-idyllic loca- spot is some large flat rocks along the brook below. tion. In fact, the trail is located within the Mattatuck State Forest with The walk back down toward the brook is steep in some places and has nary a hint of the nearby population. been damaged by motorized vehicles and run-off erosion just before the The Hike completion of the loop—but certainly not enough to ruin the hike. Note: The land through which the Hancock Brook Trail traverses is privately The trail begins in the lot of the Blue Stone Quarry; this is an active owned and should be respected as such. Many of Connecticut’s trails exist quarry so please sure to park away from the entrance and, once hiking, solely because of the kindness and understanding of these private owners. stick to the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail along the edge of the lot. Once past If you wish to continue hiking in the area, drive a few miles to the the quarrying operation, follow the trail along an old woods road about northwest just across the Plymouth town line. The Whitestone Cliffs Trail 30 feet above Hancock Brook, which is a “babbling brook” in the truest offers another loop (1.7 miles) with rewarding views, this time to the west sense. and of the Naugatuck River. From the Whitestone Cliffs, a connector trail Shortly after passing the loop junction coming in from the west, a links up with the Jericho Trail, which links to other trails and beyond. waterfall across Hancock Brook tumbles 50 feet down a rock face. There Spend a day along the Waterbury Area trails and put any preconcep- is a faint trail to reach the bank for a better view, but the trek down is fairly tions of the area to rest. steep and slippery when wet. The unnamed falls here are impressive after a period of rain, and Hancock Brook becomes more like Hancock River. Directions Be careful. Off Route 8: Exit 37. Go east off the ramp, across a bridge over the The first leg of the hike along Hancock Brook is transporting. The wide Naugatuck River, then turn right onto Route 262 (Waterbury Road). brook to the right, steep cliffs and overhang caves to the left—all the while Continue south for 1.8 miles—the road becomes Thomaston Ave—and you are hiking through a large and apparently healthy hemlock stand. On turn left onto Sheffield Street. Follow to the end and park. To reach a hot summer’s day, this stretch is sure to offer a cooling oasis. If your hike Whitestone Cliffs trailhead, retrace that route and turn right onto Route takes you clockwise (rather than counter-clockwise as described here), you 262 (Spruce Brook Road) and then bear left at Mount Tobe Road. There then have the chance to soak your feet in the brook near the end of the is room for four cars to park on the left, after a quarter mile. hike. Stephen Wood lives in West Hartford and chronicles his ongoing quest Although Waterbury’s populous center is only a few miles away, the to hike all the CFPA trails at ctmuseumquest.com. Visit the site and click serene setting belies this fact. No sights or sounds from the city permeate on “Hikes.” the little valley as the trail makes its way over rockier terrain toward its Visit the site and click on “Hikes.” northern tip. Once there, a near 180-degree turn begins the short but rather steep climb up Lion Head. Leaving the hemlock grove below, the trail ascends to the 660-foot

Lion Head is not an impressive height, but it somehow feels like it. Stephen Wood

18 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS Summer 2009 Summer 2009 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS 19 ESSENTIAL FACTS OF LIFE

Growing young gardeners Child’s Garden Themes Rainbow Garden — Plant the colors of the rainbow: red, BY LORI PARADIS BRANT orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

etting dirty is good. What a wonderful message for young, poten- Pizza Garden — Basil, oregano, garlic, tomatoes, eggplants, tial gardeners to hear. Gardening with kids is not necessarily about or other vegetable topping. G growing the most aesthetically pleasing flower garden or cultivating Salsa Garden — Cilantro, peppers, tomatoes, onions, and a bumper crop of eggplant. It’s about cultivating wonder and discovery and garlic. leaving behind our own ideas of a perfect garden in the pages of flower cata- logues. Alphabet Garden — One plant that starts with each letter of Exploring the dark soil and the critters living in it excites the alphabet; label things already in your yard/existing gar- many children. Give a boy or girl a fun task in the garden den; kids can design a fun letter-shaped sign for each plant. (or related to outdoor exploration), and he or she will want Five Senses Garden — Nasturtiums and other edible flow- to help you again. My 5-year-old son will often help at ers, mint for iced tea, strawberries (taste); scented gerani- home by dumping the contents of our fruit and vegetable ums, chocolate mint, onions, lavender, lemon balm (smell); scraps into the compost pile. He also enjoys digging the tall native grasses, make and hang wind chimes (hear); worms out of the compost pile when he gets ready to go marigolds, zinnias, cosmos, and other brightly colored flow- fishing with his dad. His shouts of joy when he finds a big, ers (sight); strawflowers, ferns, sunflowers (touch). juicy worm reverberate around the neighborhood. Know- Heritage Garden — Grow plants related to your family’s ing my son’s interest in these wiggly soil creatures, I heritage, customs, and recipes. recently enlisted his help as I prepared materials for a Education Director teacher workshop I was leading. About two-dozen teach- Moon Garden — Moonflowers, nicotania, evening prim- Lori Paradis Brant ers would be hands-deep in worms the following day as I rose, four o’clock, and other white flowering plants. led them in experiments they could easily replicate back in Story Garden — Create a garden based on a child’s garden- the classroom. I asked my son if he would be my official worm wrangler and ing book, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter dig up a mere five to 10 worms for me from the backyard. His eyes lit up like (carrots, lettuce, blackberries, fir tree, etc.), Tops & Bottoms sparklers as he grabbed the container from me and he rushed to the garden to by Janet Stevens (a rabbit grows plants that are harvested begin digging. About 20 minutes later, he triumphantly ran back inside and by either their tops (carrots/radishes), bottoms (lettuce/broc- placed the worm container carefully on a shelf in the refrigerator. I thanked coli), or middles (corn), Flower Garden by Eve Bunting (con- him enthusiastically for helping teachers this way. tainer gardening), Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney Later that night, my husband opened the fridge door in search of a late (lupines). night snack. A crash and a holler told me he had found the worms. He was dismayed at the mess of soil spread around the floor, and I was dismayed to learn that a certain 5-year-old had collected one worm. The next morning, I Gardening from Children’s Perspective ran out in the rain and quickly gathered a bunch of worms from under the mulch in the garden. The experience was a realistic lesson: When you engage Try growing a tepee garden with climbing plants such as a child in a positive outdoor experience, be ready to complete the legwork if pole beans, cucumbers, or morning glories, and your kids necessary. will be drawn to their nature fort. Most kids go through a In the garden, and the outdoors, the most important strategy with kids is stage of fort building, whether inside with blankets and chairs or outside in a clubhouse or tree house. to create positive experiences. Try providing the kids their own garden plot, no matter how small. Expect them to pull a potato up too Keep a journal, sketchbook, or photo album. Measure and early or bite into an unripened tomato, discovering on record the growth of their plants, perhaps comparing them their own how plants grow. It is their experience, with their own arms and legs. Encourage your child to share not our telling them about ours, that they will their photos with friends and family. remember. Kids with their own gardens to Grab a small stick to use as a microphone and become the nurture develop pride and ownership. With green reporter. Bring on the drama and interview your child child-sized gardening gloves or tools, children about what is growing in her garden, how she keeps the can dig their own holes, plant their own seeds, slugs away, or how she waters the plants. Then switch and water the growing greenery. roles. Children love role-playing, and your excitement can Much of the fun comes from your child’s launch a wave of creativity. experiment. Maybe you are eating a peach and your child wants to plant the pit. Encourage him to Make things for the garden like plaster casts of your do so and watch what happens. By planting child’s hands and feet, which make good stepping-stones. If some things that tend to be easy to grow and that broken clay pot is still lingering around, don’t toss it out. Help your youngster create a toad abode; these cool, dark continued on page 24 homes make great hiding spots for toads and teach children about food webs and natural predators. If you’ve uncovered rock after rock during the digging and planting process, ask your child to pile them up for a rock shelter for butterflies. The crevices in between the rocks provide great cover from We acknowledge the wonderful source of birds, cats, and other predators. www.kidsgardening.com for several of the ideas in this article.

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Summer 2009 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS 21 FROM THE LAND Strawberry Love Delicate fruits that keep a farmer humble

ISTOCKPHOTO BY JEAN CRUM JONES Then, there are the unfortunate food scares. Even when they turn out to be unwarranted, the y husband, Terry Jones, has been media coverage seems to emphasize the initial growing and marketing strawberries fears. There have been a couple times when we Mfor 45 years. It is said that he has could hardly sell any strawberries in June. One been continuously farming strawberries longer year, there was concern about cyclospora cayeta- Farmer Terry Jones’s than anyone else in Connecticut. One would nensis parasites infiltrating American strawber- think that after almost a half-century of growing ries. (Later that summer, it was traced to raspber- Advice for Growing these first fruits of summer that Terry could eas- ries from Guatemala.) Another season, there was Strawberries ily raise spectacular crops each season. Alas, this an outbreak of hepatitis at a school caused by alluring heart-shaped fruit remains a challenge, strawberries. Caused by frozen strawberries from EVERY MAY, more than 20,000 little year after year, and it keeps a farmer humble. Mexico, this news came out quietly after straw- strawberry roots come to us from a The strawberry itself is the essence of vulnera- berry season. We have also had our share of strawberry nursery in Western Massa- bility, from its roots to its fruits. The roots are strawberry disasters. In 1972, Hurricane Agnes chusetts. A machine carefully sets the made of simple tissues, lacking corky bark or cov- arrived at the peak of the season and flooded out plants at the rate of 5,000 per acre. By ering that protects them from soil born pests. the crop. In 1977, an uncontrollable pest came June, each plant has produced several blossoms, each carefully plucked off by Nematodes and weevil larvae just love to chew that destroyed most of the berries. And, there are hand. Then for the rest of the summer, up an established field of strawberry roots. Black the less dramatic challenges that take their toll— the plants throw all their energy, not into vine weevils, spider mites, and multiple other youth vandalism, rampant deer damage, fussy producing a relatively small amount of bugs enjoy an above the ground strawberry plant neighbors that like the looks of a farm, but not fruit but, rather, many vigorous “daughter buffet, munching on the tender vines and leaves, the sounds and commotion, and the long, long plants.” These form at the end of long if they are not deterred. As for the berry itself, it working hours. Through it all, my ever-persever- “runners”—stems that trail along the has neither a skin nor a rind to protect its sweet ing husband continues growing strawberries ground away from the “mother plants.” flesh from the predation of weather or pests. The despite my protests that I’ve had quite enough. All summer-long growers must weed by fragility only increases after picking, because even Why? A ripe strawberry, freshly plucked and hand to keep the fields free of competing the smallest bruise becomes a site for fungi to warmed by the sun, is a captivating eating expe- weeds. become established and rapidly destroy the fruit. rience. In the 1800s, after plant breeders devel- BY AUTUMN, the rows have filled in Fortunately, Connecticut plant scientists from oped delicious varieties for commercial growing, solid with strawberry plants and deep the Experiment Stations help strawberry growers strawberries became a food people anticipated within each plant the tiny fruit buds are by providing advice with unanticipated pest out- through the winter and then gorged on in a brief being formed. Around Thanksgiving, it’s breaks performing essential long-term research frenzy in early summer. The newspapers of the time to spread about 100 tons of straw to find safe ways to promote the healthy growth day called it “strawberry fever.” Churches and over the field. The plants and their deli- of this easily assaulted plant. civic groups held community strawberry festivals. cate little fruit buds are tucked in for the Strawberry ripening gave women an opportunity winter. . . . a real fresh strawberry is a magical fruit to serve their communities the first berries of the that just about everyone loves. When the season. Luscious strawberry desserts, needlework IN APRIL, the winter rest period over, the sales, musical entertainment, and sociability hay is carefully removed and placed in strawberries are ripe, the fields have an made these events highly successful. In some between the rows where it forms a com- fortable cushion for pickers to kneel on overwhelming fragrance, and the flavor of the churches of Connecticut, strawberry festivals at harvest time. The plants resume continue to be popular. strawberry is incomparable to any other food. growth, and by May, the fruit buds have Terry began raising organic vegetables and emerged and burst into flower. The fields Outside the real challenges of dealing with the strawberries in the 1960s. At that time, the carpeted white with blossoms are a sight strawberry’s physiology and the soil it grows in, strawberry and most other fresh garden vegeta- to see. They are also a prime target for the strawberry farmer has multiple other chal- bles were being produced nearly year-round in old Jack Frost, who may come a-visiting lenges — many beyond his control. Until quite California and had become the preferred choice on as many as a dozen nights in May. recently, most customers lacked appreciation for of supermarket produce buyers. To survive the Then we start our giant irrigation pumps what strawberry farming entailed, and their com- four-day truck trip to the East Coast, California that mist nearly 1,000 gallons of water peting, noncompatible demands — cheap prices, breeders had developed hearty varieties that per minute over the fields. As the water organic methods, weekend times to purchase looked great but had lost their full flavor. In freezes it releases heat—more than 60 abundant perfect berries in an easy blissful man- Connecticut, former strawberry beds were yield- million BTUs every hour. ner — made it almost impossible to satisfy their ing to suburban bedrooms as housing spread wants. At our farm, for 40 years, I have overseen AT LAST — BY JUNE, the strawberries rapidly through the countryside. No longer were have emerged and ripened and it’s the guest operations because it bothers my hus- the truck farms surrounding Connecticut’s urban strawberry time again. band too much to hear the customers complain- centers economically viable, and these farmlands ing about the strawberries he has worked so hard were being sold off to developers. Terry decided to grow. to start a pick-your-own strawberry farm while

22 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS Summer 2009 FROM THE ARCHIVES The Handshake Connecticut hiking trails exist through landowners’ generosity

his year, the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails are 80 years old, and they add up to 825 miles. In 1979, when they were only 50 years old and a paltry 500 Tmiles, Ben Warner wrote about his father’s agreement to allow Connecticut Forest & Park Association to build a trail on his family’s land. “There come out from Hartford a fellow named Warner, no relation to us, and wanted to mark a trail so folks could walk the ridge up over the mountain. Charlie and I talked it over with Harry and Lena. We all thought it was a pretty good idea, so the next Saturday this fellow Warner and I walked over Ratlum and marked out a trail. I told this Warner fellow that folks were free to hike on our property as long as they behave themselves. We shook hands on it, and I never saw him again.” The trails exist largely because of the civic minded generosity of people like Mr. Warner. Other examples of long standing partners are the state’s water companies, that allow Blue Trails to traverse their property as long as people understand the need to protect water quality at all times. The sign on this page is an example from a few decades back. CFPA continues to ask landowners if marking a trail on their land might be “a pretty good idea” and tries to document all the handshake and verbal agreements set up over the years so that it can continue to keep the trails intact as a living example of community sharing and good fellowship. —James W. Little

James Little, a candidate for an American studies master’s degree at Trinity College, is the director of development of CFPA.

Hull Forest Products Inc. Serving The Needs of Forest Landowners Since 1972. many local farmers were deciding to leave the land. Truly novel in the 1960s, his strawberry operation became an immediate sensation Providing Numerous Forestry Services: because the strawberries tasted so good and people enjoyed Four Certified Foresters On Staff the farm experience. Housewives, working at home, loved Forest Management Planning picking quantities of delicious berries on weekdays that they froze and jarred for jam. These were great years to be a straw- Tree Farm Certification berry farmer. However, times changed. Many housewives joined Wildlife Habitat Management the paid labor force and had little time for picking and preserving strawber- Timber Stand Improvements ries. Many Connecticut strawberry growers abandoned pick-your-own mar- CT Forestland Property Tax Classification keting in the 1980s. But Terry persisted and continues to persist. That is because a real fresh strawberry is a magical fruit that just about everyone Purchasing Standing Timber. loves. When the strawberries are ripe, the fields have an overwhelming fra- grance, and the flavor of the strawberry is incomparable to any other food. My Farmer Jones is beloved because of his special ability to grow these won- For A Free Initial Consultation or Sawtimber derful, delicious strawberries, and his loyal strawberry lovers won’t let him Appraisal Please Call: quit — yet. Although strawberries demand a lot of extremely tedious handwork to grow, they offer among the highest cash return to farmers who are willing Hull Forest Products Inc. to coddle them. Strawberries are the overwhelming favorite crop of urban 101 Hampton Road, Pomfret Center, CT 06259 farmers, because it’s possible to make a living on less than ten acres. So, I am a full-hearted supporter of small-scale farming and farmer’s markets in Con- (860) 974-2083 or (800) 353-3331 necticut — they hold a key to my retirement! www.hullforest.com

Jean Crum Jones farms with her husband, Terry, in Shelton. She is a registered dietician.

Summer 2009 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS 23 BOOKS Digging Deep into a Journey with David Leff

Deep Travel: In Thoreau’s Wake brother (who died shortly afterward) had done on the Concord and Merrimack, in 1839. Mr. Thoreau later wrote his observa- by David K. Leff. University of Iowa tions in A Week on the Concord and Merri- mack Rivers. Mr. Leff takes virtually the same Press: Iowa City, 2009. 264 pages. path and with three different companions — BY ROBERT M. RICARD his young son Josh, his friend and neighbor Alan, and his sweetheart Pamela. The impor- ayakers and canoeists typically prefer tant difference is the societal changes spanning running rivers in pristine areas void more than one and a half centuries, ones that K of human evidence. When industrial reflect both the ecological changes and the lin- sites — dams, canals, abutments, bridges, even gering evidence of human intervention. By cars and shopping carts — interrupt the beauty helping us see these things differently, that is by of fields and forests along river banks, enthusi- seeking the juxtapositions of culture and asts usually describe the scenery as “nothing to nature, he leads us to delight in our past and write home about.” prepares us to better manage our present and In sharp contrast, David K. Leff loves this future landscape. stuff — all of it. In fact, a growing number of Mr. Leff’s deep travel, first-person narrative folks do too. They are finding pleasure in view- resonates successfully, tracing ecological ing the natural world through a more human- change and human history. The reader will istic lens. Make no mistake — they still have leave the journey with a greater appreciation of affection for wild areas and unspoiled nature. the remains of a breeched dam, a dam built to They still revere purists like John Muir and wild harness the power of a river to produce textiles area adventurists such as John Wesley Powell. Travel: In Thoreau’s Wake on the Concord and at the same place where Native Americans con- The difference is they also revel in the interface Merrimack, the author awakens us to his pas- structed weirs for their own needs, and much of humans and nature. To these folks, the jewel sion and invites us to journey with him. more. You might even imagine dropping is not so much seeing a bald eagle roosting in Mr. Leff is fascinated in the physical evidence through a waterfall that once powered the a tall white pine, but seeing a bald eagle roost- of past lives, historic places and events, and looms your grandmother worked a hundred ing in a tall white pine emerging from the bot- punctuated moments in the technological years ago as a child. I took just such a journey tom of an abandoned canal or cellar hole. innovation that changed the landscape that on the river through downtown Willimantic Mr. Leff retired in 2006 after a long and dis- appears along the industrialized rivers of New past the restored American Thread mill. On my tinguished career as a deputy commissioner of England (and elsewhere). He points out that trip through time and place, I imagined my the Connecticut Department of Environmen- this can be seen from a canoe or kayak along grandmother, speaking French only, in a much tal Protection, where he was responsible for New England waterways. Influenced by different life than mine. With this experience, conservation programs involving parks, forests, authors such as Harvard University’s John Stil- and with David Leff’s writing, I am better able fisheries, and wildlife. In this world, he was goe (author of Outside Lies Magic), Mr. Leff to see (and seek) my past, present, and future intimately engaged in environmental politics introduces us to a new way of seeing the New with more reverence, respect, and appreciation. and the political behavior of organizations. In England landscape (through “deep travel”), You might do the same. If you did, you would his new world, he may influence peoples’ envi- and revels in the often-maligned landscape of certainly have a great deal more to write home ronmental attitudes and behaviors in a much decaying factory towns and abandoned mills, about. different way. Mr. Leff now encourages us to their dams and sluices, of eroded farm land. see the everyday, seemingly ordinary world His journey begins with his plan to paddle Robert M. Ricard is a senior extension educator for around us in a new light. He does this with the Concord and Merrimack Rivers in much UConn Cooperative Extension. grace, style, and wit. In his latest book, Deep the same way Henry David Thoreau and his

Essential facts time — whether it’s time to cut some flowers bed for the winter. Feed the worms the plant for decorating the kitchen table or pick the compost and put away the garden tools. Leave a continued from page 20 tomatoes to make pizza sauce. Show off your note about what fun you had with your child on maintain, a child engages his enthusiasm. child’s (and your) hard work; positive recogni- his or her tools for them to find next year when Along with the traditional and popular veg- tion of a job well done can be a memory they those tools emerge again. etable, bird, butterfly, or flower gardens, why won’t soon forget. And when it’s time to plant This is our first year gardening with our son, not try something different that might appeal the garden again next spring, your child will the worm wrangler. I’ve yet to discover if his to you and your little one? Consider growing a have lots of positive stories to share rather than interest in all things related to dirt and muck pizza garden or story garden. See the box for seeing a garden as merely a tedious chore. will lead to his very own child’s garden. I’ll let other ideas to jumpstart your creative garden you know. themes. Goodnight, Garden Celebrate! Make a big to-do out of harvest At season’s end, tuck the garden into its soil Lori Paradis Brant is the Education Director of CFPA.

24 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS Summer 2009 WalkCT AFRUITFUL WALK Walking without realizing it’s exercise

BY JENNIFER BENNER eye out for announcements in community hap- ven though we know walking is good penings in your local newspaper and bulletin for us, we sometimes need to dangle a boards around town and at the library. You can E also check with local garden clubs or groups carrot to get us moving. Walking can be enjoyable in itself. When it is paired with an such as the Federated Garden Clubs of Con- interesting activity, however, we end up having necticut (www.ctgardenclubs.org). The Gar- so much fun, we don’t even realize that we’re den Conservancy’s Open Days Program walking. Exploring historic sites, hiking to resources available to find a farm or market (www.gardenconservancy.org/opendays) hosts beautiful vistas, and strolling through Main near you. The Buy CT Grown initiative has a several garden tour opportunities in Connecti- Street shops and art galleries are all healthy Web site (www.buyctgrown.com) where you cut and around the country throughout the activities in disguise. Many of these activities can search for local farms. The Northeast gardening season. Although they do charge a can be enjoyed year-round in Connecticut, but Organic Farming Association of Connecticut small admission fee, the money goes to a good one that is made just for summer is experienc- also has an excellent farm and food guide as cause that conserves gardens for future gener- ing our local farms and gardens. well as a listing of Connecticut farmers’ mar- ations. Connecticut has a rich farming heritage that kets available on their Web site Of course, you can always get a little exercise encompasses nurturing everything from live- (www.ctnofa.org/Farms.php). right in your own backyard. Pulling weeds can stock to vegetables to honey production. Visit- Those with green thumbs or looking for be a full-contact sport, but few things are as ing pick-your-own farms and farmers’ markets some gardening inspiration should consider rewarding as cultivating and harvesting home- are great ways to get out for a walk while pur- attending a garden tour or walk. Many Con- grown veggies, herbs, fruit, and flowers from chasing fresh, local food and spending time necticut residents open their gardens to visitors your garden. Another great, fun example of a with family and friends. There are many on designated days during the year. Keep an healthy activity in disguise.

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COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS Fall 2009 RENEWABLE ENERGY Experimenting with Wind Wood as Fuel, Past and Present The Future of Solar

Summer 2009 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS 25 ON THE TRAILS

New England National Scenic Trail is official The traprock ridge hiking trails in Connecti- 261–122. The Senate never acted on its version CFPA Volunteers Managing Trails cut have become part of the New England of that bill. In late 2008, during the last months The National Park Service is now authorized National Scenic Trail. In March, a federal bill of the 110th Congress, the trail designation was to provide funding and technical assistance to that included a provision first introduced two consolidated with dozens of other projects help Connecticut Forest & Park Association, the years ago to establish the first new National Sce- mostly related to public lands as the Omnibus Appalachian Mountain Club, which coordinates nic Trail in New England passed in the U.S. Sen- Public Lands Management Act of 2009, Senate volunteer maintenance on the Massachusetts sec- ate and House of Representatives and was signed Bill 22. Senate Bill 22 passed on January 15, tion, and others to maintain and protect the trail. into law by President Barack Obama. The New 2009, but on March 11, it failed to receive the A trail stewardship council with representatives England National Scenic Trail is a 220-mile hik- required two-thirds vote in the House after a from towns, landowners, trail user organizations, ing trail in Connecticut and Massachusetts. It motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill. starts at the New Hampshire–Massachusetts bor- and many other groups will be established to But the bill reappeared the following week in the oversee maintenance and protection of the trail’s der and goes south to Long Island Sound, com- Senate, which passed it 77–20, after which the bining parts of the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail national scenic values. Finally, a “trail manage- House passed the bill with a simple majority, in Massachusetts and, in Connecticut, the Meta- ment blueprint” will take effect as the framework 285–140. The omnibus bill included a long list comet and Mattabesett trails. The whole route is for managing the trail. This blueprint was of public lands bills and two national historic known to many as the MMM Trail. It crosses designed during the years of the trail feasibility trails, the Trail of Tears and the Washington- through 39 municipalities with a combined pop- study, drawing on extensive public comments. Rochambeau Revolutionary Route, which passes ulation of nearly 776,000, but the trails link rural CFPA volunteers will continue to maintain through Connecticut. stretches over low ridges in the center of both the trail in Connecticut. If landowners are will- states.For about seven years, the federal govern- The trail route includes a new section, 14 ing to sell to state or local entities, the trail cor- ment had been considering designating the trail. miles long, carrying the route south to Long ridor could become protected land. The (The other National Scenic Trail in New Eng- Island Sound, in Guilford. This new section sets National Park Service will not own or manage land is the northern section of the Appalachian off the easternmost section of the Mattabesett any of the trail lands. This is different than the Trail in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Trail as an alternate route. In Massachusetts, a situation with the Appalachian Trail, which fol- New Hampshire, and Maine.) The idea came section of the current Metacomet-Monadnock lows lands owned by the National Park Service. originally from U.S. Representative John W. trail is proposed to relocate to state lands from Landowners along the New England National Olver, a Democrat of Massachusetts, who intro- private property, at the request of property own- Scenic Trail will continue to own their land and duced the earlier version of the legislation early in ers. Long sections of the trail route will remain control what happens on it. This designation 2007, following years of a study that recom- as they have been for as long as 75 years, travers- does not allow the government to take land mended pursuing federal designation. The ing low traprock ridges at the southern end, and through eminent domain. House passed that bill in January 2008, woods and low mountains at its northern end. —Christine Woodside

His father’s voice brushed when passed, releasing spicy fragrance. attract deer, rabbits, squirrels, and every other Fennel attracted butterflies. Thyme between pest known to gardeners. Still we garden. continued from page 12 stones in a path made a fragrant “steppable.” In the last few years, I’ve begun growing “get a good crop” out of the seeds. As I became more interested in cooking, herbs strawberries in patches and blueberries in pots. Accepting the gift of seeds, I was thinking became—imagine this—edible plants. I began Having gotten used to plucking fruit for cereal that while my father and I seemed to be gar- using them in soups and salads, and supplying in the early morning, I can’t stop; I’d have a dening in different ways, we shared an appreci- Lyn for various dishes. If a meal is like an hole in my breakfast without the dew-fresh ation for the beauty of plants, edible or not. We orchestra, then herbs are the strings, providing berries as tasty as they are beautiful. Yes, the also shared a kinship with every other person light, elegant accents, counterpoints to the birds want to share the potted blueberries who works with zeal and vigor to mark the meat and potatoes, which amount to the growing on the steps, not satisfied with the land—whether through gardening, building drums, trumpets, pianos. wild ones in the ground. And, slugs want all fences and stone walls, or planting trees. We’re the strawberries. But, as a farmer told me years saying, I am here, and I care about this spot of ago when I asked what he did about squirrels, earth. I want to put my stamp on it. deer, birds, and such: “Grow enough for them I did plant some of my father’s seeds the fol-  and for me, too.” lowing spring, and I managed to get a few And, now I have planted asparagus in abun- tomatoes, along with an okra pod or two, but When we moved to Connecticut in 2001, I dance — enough for Lyn and me and creatures not much else. This food effort did help me built an acre of gardens, carving out my first unknown. Enough at long last to make me say better appreciate the ornamental value of food dedicated herb garden, growing plants not with certainty that I am a food man. crops. Okra, for example, blooms as beautifully only for viewing and cooking but also for teas, as its hibiscus cousin. I’ve met people in Con- discovering that just about all herbs seem Lee May, author of two books on gardening and life, necticut who grow okra, but I haven’t tried. I suited for hot or cold drinks, many of which are wrote for the Los Angeles Times and the Atlanta did grow eggplant, however, and like okra, said to have medicinal value. The taste of teas Journal-Constitution before retiring to East Had- eggplant produces blooms and sculpted fruit made with homegrown rosemary, mint, or dam. He can be reached at [email protected]. worthy of any ornamental space. lemon balm is priceless. Ornamental is what herbs had always been To be sure, growing herbs is easy compared to me. Rosemary was a path plant, to be with cultivating vegetables and fruits that

26 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS Summer 2009 ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS BRIEFS

Headlines from around the state The state agriculture department was state have increased from 22 in 1986 to 114 in We thank Chris Zurcher’s Connecticut granted $116,865 from the U.S. Department of 2008. Last year, approximately 360 farmers Environmental Headlines for tipping us off to Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service’s participated in the state’s 114 seasonal farm- these stories. For a daily posting of news Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to ers’ markets. summaries, visit www.ctenvironmentalhead- design the larger, enclosed facility to handle — Connecticut Department of Agriculture lines.com. more producers and stay open year-round. The number of stalls would be increased State Considering Tax on Plastic Hartford Regional Market to Add Indoor from 28 to 80, allowing as many as 52 more Shopping Bags Farmers’ Market farmers to participate on any given day. Offi- The Connecticut General Assembly this cials hope for a 2011 opening. The Connecticut Department of Agriculture spring was considering a 5-cent tax on plas- The outdoor farmers’ market is open to the is planning an indoor farmers’ market at the tic and paper shopping bags as a way to weather, restricting customer traffic and Hartford Regional Market, the largest perish- raise about $20 million a year. The proposal sales to a seasonal basis. Local crops such able food distribution facility between Boston called for spending the proceeds on curbside as honey, maple syrup, and greenhouse and New York. The indoor market will aug- recycling in which cans, bottles, and other plants, however, offer year-round availability. ment an outdoor, seasonal farmers’ market materials could be mixed in one bin. Con- Consumer awareness of and demand for Buy that now operates under a 28-stall pavilion. necticut already has a 5-cent deposit system CT Grown products have been steadily That market attracts an average of 10,000 for beverage bottles and cans. increasing during the past two decades, and customers each year, some of them arriving — Source: Gregory B. Hladky in the popularity of farmers’ markets has before dawn toting flashlights. The New York Times exploded. Seasonal farmers’ markets in the

Scenes from the Soapstone Mountain Trail Races May 17 in Shenipsit State Forest. At right, race directors Jerry Stage and Deb Livingston.

Scott Livingston

Move over Community gardens cially could eat fresh local produce. So she drove around the area looking at the kind of continued from page 14 continued from page 11 land behind churches that people don’t notice. pounds of produce. Home kitchen garden- Mr. Alexander and his colleagues think so. She saw a tangled expanse near the property ing allows you to bring fresh food to the “Since the industrial revolution,” they wrote, line behind Grace Church in Old Saybrook, an table throughout the growing season and “there has been a growing tendency for people Episcopal church at 336 Main Street. beyond, if you also choose to freeze and to rely on impersonal producers for their veg- She approached Bill Peace, a town selectman preserve your harvest. It is a gratifying activ- etables; however, in a world where vegetables who also served on the church vestry, recalled ity that you can enjoy with your family and are central and where self-sufficiency increases, Mr. Peace’s wife, Julie Peace, who helps publi- friends. It also makes good use of our land it becomes as natural for families to have their cize the garden. The Rev. Chuck Hoffman, the own vegetables as their own air. . . . every and resources. Lawns are taxing on the envi- rector, “could not have been more wonderful household which does not have its own private ronment, requiring vast quantities of water, about it,” Ms. Van Nes said. The church land attached to it should have a portion of a fertilizer, pesticides, and fuel to power mow- donated about a third of an acre. Others common vegetable garden close at hand.” ers, and purchasing produce that is shipped donated irrigation and a fence. Mrs. Van Nes Community gardens usually start out with organizes volunteers, and Betty Palka of from distant (often foreign farms) has a big one person’s strong idea “but then people Chester does much work. The 119 volunteers impact on fuel and resource consumption. come out of the woodwork,” said Ms. Benoit, include retired people, teenagers, and, recently, Trends come and go, and economic times a native of Philadelphia, who was much influ- 38 sailors from the U.S. Submarine Base in largely dictate them. Although sales of just enced by the book Garden Blocks for Urban Groton. They moved the compost piles. Work- about everything are down this year, many America (Scribner, 1969) by Louise Bush- ing people find connection to the land and Brown. She has seen this pattern of strong lead- of the top vegetable seed suppliers are look- their agrarian pasts. “They said things like: ers inspiring neighbors over and over again. ing at a banner year with sales projected to Working in this garden sure beats sitting One striking example of it happened in the be up anywhere from 20 to 40 percent for around a board table,” Mrs. Peace said. Want lower Connecticut River Valley about seven 2009. It appears that the White House is to drive, volunteer, or donate your produce to years ago. Journalist and avid gardener Claudia not the only household that sees the bene- the pantry? Email claudiavannes@aol.com. Or Van Nes of Chester was talking to the director fits of vegetable gardening. call 860-526-3459. of the Shoreline Soup Kitchens, which serves meals to low-income guests at churches in sev- Christine Woodside, who edits Connecticut Wood- Jennifer Benner is the WalkCT communications eral towns and runs three food pantries. Ms. lands, edited the 2003 reprint of a USDA agricul- coordinator for CFPA. She enjoys harvesting Van Nes thought it would be possible to start a tural yearbook on small-scale homesteading, Living fresh produce from her garden each year. garden so that even families struggling finan- on an Acre (Lyons Press, 2003).

Summer 2009 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS 27 Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Hartford, CT Permit No. 2386

16 Meriden Road Rockfall, Connecticut 06481-2961

Address Service Requested

Conserving Connecticut since 1895

Arborist Matt “Twig” Largess showed hikers birds and trees on a 4-mile trek through Heritage Farm and Bolton Notch State Park on National Trails Day June 4. CFPA organized Connecticut’s giant roster of hikes that weekend.

Scott Livingston